Prostitution decriminalisation “way overdue” – Mild Greens
It is untenable for the law to maintain that ‘sex work’ is criminal, say the Mild Greens, “much as it is disreputable
for the law to maintain that the everyday activity of smoking a joint is a crime”. Prostitution involving consensual
adults is nobody else’s business (except maybe the IRD) say the Mild Greens.
Parliament considered last evenings crucial conscience votes on the decriminalisation of prostitution and passed Tim
Barnett’s Prostitution reform bill second reading 62:56, in what may be seen as a minor, if narrow, victory against
stupid, inequitable laws.
Mild Greens say a law change repealing the offence of soliciting is way overdue.
“Laws should mean what they say, and do what they say. Either lock up all the ‘criminal’ streetwalkers and confiscate
the brothels and proceeds of ‘crime’- and ban the classified listing of ‘escorts’ - or have a law that reflects actual
tolerant social values and genuine free-trade principles”.
And either ship New Zealand’s half million ‘criminal’ marijuana users off to concentration camps, or recognise the black
market restriction/offender definition is seriously flawed… legalise, and APOLOGISE.
It is not prudent or precautionary to have virtually the entire population ‘criminals’ by definition or by association,
thanks to certain inappropriate controls.
If a moral minority finds activities such as prostitution or drug use ‘morally unacceptable’, then these people still
have to realise that it is a far greater trespass to impose subjective morality at the expense of individual freedom.
Legislating private morality denies the God-given conscience of the individual.
“It is our right to choose, and to have the best life possible in that choice.”
And the Mild Greens point out (as no M.P. will), that there are far more cannabis users (mainly male) than sex-workers
(mainly female) in NZ: “a much bigger criminalisation problem, and a therefore a far greater social inequity requiring
resolution”.